SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities continue investigating a Thursday afternoon officer-involved shooting that critically injured a wanted suspect.
Officer nearly hit by the wanted suspect in the red vehicle-photo courtesy Wichita Police
Just after 1 p.m. two police officers and a Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) employee working with the enforcement apprehension unit, attempted to arrest a known 29-year-old suspect in the parking lot of the Sedgwick County Corrections Office, 905 N. Main, according to Deputy Police Chief Troy Livingston. The officers knew the suspect to be armed and dangerous.
Multiple warrants existed for the suspect including for three counts of aggravated robbery, aggravated battery; intentional bodily harm with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault; use of a deadly weapon.
The second Sedgwick County warrant was for aggravated assault; use of a deadly weapon and attempted theft of property or services. The suspect also had traffic warrants out of Newton and Wichita.
In one case, the suspect pointed a handgun and threatened loss prevention employees to avoid apprehension. In another case, the suspect entered a home armed with a handgun along with other armed suspects. The suspects battered three males in the home and a shot was fired. The suspects stole property and fled.
The officers made multiple previous attempts to have the suspect turn himself in peacefully. The officers were conducting follow-up on the suspect and believed he may arrive at approximately 1 p.m. at the Sedgwick County Corrections Office with his 26-year-old girlfriend.
The Officers observed the suspect arrive driving a red 2008 Ford Focus and park in a parking stall. His girlfriend exited the vehicle and entered the Corrections Office. The KDOC employee pulled behind the suspect vehicle and the two WPD Officers parked an unmarked vehicle and approached the front of the vehicle. The officers drew their handguns and gave verbal instructions for the suspect to exit the vehicle.
The suspect refused to exit the vehicle, reversed the vehicle forcefully ramming the KDOC vehicle and then pulled forward turning toward a WPD officer on the driver’s side of the vehicle, almost striking him. The two WPD officers fired multiple shots toward the suspect vehicle, striking the suspect multiple times.
The suspect drove the vehicle over a parking block, into a metal pole in the parking lot, into a concrete pillar, crossed Main Street and struck a concrete fence on the east side of Main. The suspect was transported to an area hospital and was reported critical condition on Friday morning, according to Livingston.
A WPD officer received minor injuries to his arm while removing the suspect from the vehicle, after the crash. The suspect was in possession of a handgun, and officers determined the tag on the Focus was reported stolen in Sedgwick County.
The WPD officer’s involved are a 13-year-veteran and a 5-year-veteran of the department. Both officers are part of the WPD Violent Crimes Task Force. Both officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard protocol in officer-involved shootings.
The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.
The WPD have requested the assistance of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to provide accountability and transparency.
Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.
By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
Friendship and food. That’s what a person can expect to find in a special restaurant and bakery in a pretty small town setting in a northeast Kansas community. This enterprise has also significantly expanded its catering business in the region.
Mike Pray and Jake Trummer are co-owners of the Friendship House in Wamego, Kansas. The rich history of this eating establishment goes back to the 1980s.
In 1988, an old Dutch windmill was relocated into Wamego’s City Park and used as a site to grind flour. The production of the stone-ground wheat flour gave birth to an idea: Why not bake the flour into a finished product for Wamego’s visitors and residents? Three Wamego women purchased a house adjoining the city park to establish such a place.
Rosemary Crilly, Barbara Meinhardt, and Kathy Freeze went together to establish this business. Those three women named it Friendship House. “They were just looking for a friendly place to get together for a cup of coffee and a roll,” Mike Pray said. Baked goods and tasty lunches were the key elements of their offerings.
After 11 years, the restaurant was purchased by the Feyh family which operated it for another nine years. As the Feyhs neared retirement, they announced that the Friendship House would close if no one purchased it. Mike and Margo Pray bought it in 2008.
Mike had traveled the world in an Air Force family. He came back to the Wamego area where his grandparents lived, went to K-State, and worked in the fast food industry. After he bought the Friendship House, he was joined by Jake Trummer in 2009.
Jake had grown up in a big family at the rural community of Belvue, population 205 people. Now, that’s rural.
“We had a big garden and nine fruit trees,” Jake said. “I loved cooking and all aspects of food.” Jake worked in a butcher shop and then trained under a couple of chefs. Today he is head chef and part-owner with Mike of the Friendship House in Wamego.
“I fell in love with this little town,” Jake said. He and Mike have significantly expanded the business in the years since they began together.
Today, the Friendship House is open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch. A full homemade breakfast is available every day, with a brunch on Sundays from 11 to 2. On other days, the Friendship House is open till 3.
The goal continues to be “home cooking just like Grandma makes.” Baked goods are baked every day. This includes breads, cookies, bierocks, and delicious pastries. The menu includes soups, salads, sandwiches, gourmet burgers, daily specials, kids menu, and more.
A major change at the Friendship House has been the expansion of the catering business. “We are providing home-cooked food, prepared from scratch daily,” Jake said. “Not many caterers can provide dinner rolls that were baked fresh that day.”
The Friendship House got a contract to cater K-State football and basketball events, and is doing many more events of all kinds. In 2015, they converted the outside dining area into a catering kitchen to keep up with the demand. “When I started, catering was 5 to 10 percent of our revenue, and now it is 40 to 45 percent – while our overall revenue has grown much larger too,” Jake said.
“Wamego is a wonderful community,” Mike Pray said. “They do so many activities. The pyro crew that does the Fourth of July fireworks is amazing. Then there is the Oz Museum. I have pictures of me with the munchkins who come here for Oztoberfest.”
“People here really support you,” he said. “It’s like a family.”
Friendship and food. Those things and much more can be found at this remarkable eating establishment in Wamego. We salute Mike Pray, Jake Trummer, and all those involved with the Friendship House for making a difference with home-cooked food serving multiple communities. The goal continues to be fantastic food, fun friendships, and family feeling.
Season passes to the Hays Aquatic Park and Wilson Pool were up significantly in 2018, while general admission was down slightly.
A season financial report was presented to the Hays city commission Thursday night by Jeff Boyle, parks director, and Roger Bixenman, Hays Recreation Commission (HRC) superintendent.
The city contracts with HRC to manage the pools. Separate city general fund budgets pay for maintenance of the pools, along with the operating contract. The contract stipulates any operating loss or surplus incurred by HRC will be shared 50/50 as long as the HRC’s portion of the loss does not exceed $26,000.
The 2018 total HRC loss was $39,337.40 of which the city will pay 50 percent, or $19,668.70.
Commissioners unanimously approved the HRC reimbursement request after Shaun Musil asked what effect there would be on attendance if admission was raised by one dollar.
“I don’t think it would hurt attendance,” Bixenman responded. He noted adult admission was raised three or four years ago.
“We are affordable. We’re doing the early bird season passes now,” said Bixenman. “It’s a great place to go.”
Currently, HAP admission rates are $3 for children and $4 for adults 18 and older. Wilson’s rates are both one dollar less.
Attendance at the Hays Aquatic Park increased in 2018 with 49,670 patrons compared to 48,238 in 2017. Wilson Pool also saw an increase in attendance to 4,058 patrons in 2018 compared to 3,772 in 2017.
Attendance at Wilson during the 2018 season was the second highest in history.
Harvey Richard “Dick” Adolph, 79, passed away peacefully in his sleep January 10, 2019, at his home in Colby.
Born June 10, 1939, in Milliken, Colo., Dick spent many childhood summers on a farm north of Levant. He eventually moved fulltime to Levant and attended Colby High School, graduating in 1958. On the farm he learned to fly and to drive fast.
Dick worked hard from an early age, and saved up to buy a new car at age 14. The car helped a few years later in 1958 when he met Julie Hess, a young woman who lived in Kansas City, Mo. One year and many road trips later, Dick and Julie married in Colby on September 1, 1959. They lived on the farm north of Levant. They later moved to Colby and lived there until 1972 when they moved to Topeka, so Dick could attend Washburn University. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. While attending school, Dick worked nights as a Licensed Mental Health Technician at the Menninger Foundation. He was also a member of National Guard.
After Dick’s education was complete, Dick and Julie moved back to Colby, where Dick farmed.
In retirement Dick pursued his passions of bowling with friends and gardening with Julie.
Dick was preceded in death by his Aunt Veda and husband Chet Moore, and granddaughter Candace (Adolph) Gay. Surviving are wife Julie, Colby; son Kerry and wife Kathi Adolph, Lawrence; daughter Jennifer and husband Ab Smith, Sharon Springs; daughter Kristin and husband Greg Issinghoff, Clovis, Calif; sister Jean Richers, Saint Francis, and five grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, January 14, 2019 at Baalmann Mortuary in Colby. Burial will follow at Beulah Cemetery, Colby. Memorials are suggested to Citizens Medical Center, in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 391, Colby, KS 67701.
BARTON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a stabbing.
Timothy Chism -photo Great Bend policeChism photo Barton Co.
Just after 10p.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to 1120 Morton Street, in reference to a stabbing, according to a media release.
Upon officers’ arrival, a 19-year old female was contacted. The victim and other witnesses stated Timothy Chism, a 34-year old white male, cut her throat and he fled from the residence on foot.
The victim was transported to the hospital in Great Bend and was reported in stable condition.
Police issued an attempt to locate for Chism for Aggravated Battery and he was still at large late Friday morning, according to police.
Anyone with any information, please contact the Great Bend Police Department at (620) 793-4120 or Crime Stoppers at (620) 792-1300.
The No. 14 ranked Fort Hays State wrestling team comes back home after a month-long absence from Hays to host the No. 8 ranked Lindenwood Lions on Friday (Jan. 11) in the first home dual for the Tigers. The black & gold are 1-3 overall in duals this season, while beginning the conference portion of the dual season 0-1 after falling to Central Oklahoma (Dec. 9). The battle against the Lions is slated to commence at 7 p.m. from inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Fort Hays State’s projected lineup consists of two seniors, three juniors, three sophomores, two redshirt-freshmen and two true freshmen while the Lions will have six individually ranked wrestlers on their side. Brandon Ball (No. 2 at 141 pounds) and Efe Osaghae (No. 4 at 157 pounds) are two Tigers in the individual rankings.
The first matchup will feature true freshman Broderick Green and undefeated junior Carlos Jacquez. Jacquez enters as the No. 3 ranked wrestler in the 125-pound weight class. Green holds a 6-12 overall record in his first year with the Tigers. Among his six victories, Green has one technical fall and one major decision to his credit. Jacquez carries a 15-0 overall record with him into the dual.
In the 133-pound bout, both the Tigers and Lions will have two options. True freshman Riley Tubbs or junior Conrad Cole will face off with either freshman Tanner Hitchcock or No. 3 ranked Danny Swan. Tubbs enters the dual with a 6-4 record, including four decisions and one major decision. Cole is tied for second on the squad in pins (four). Hitchcock is 9-6 on the season, while Swan sits at 11-3 so far this year.
No. 2 ranked Brandon Ball will battle Tyler Wicken in the 141-pound matchup. Ball carries a 12-0 overall record with him, while winning both the Swede Open and the Bob Smith Open. Among Ball’s 12 wins, he has seven decisions, two falls, two major decisions and one technical falls. Wicken sits at 6-4 on the year.
The 149-pound bout will feature one of three options for the Tigers and Gavin Londoff for the Lions. Jonathan Ball, Anthony Scantlin or Ryne Cokeley will take to the mat for FHSU. Ball (R-Fr.) sits at 11-5 on the year with six decisions, two technical falls, one pin and one major decision. Scantlin (R-Fr.) is currently 3-4 overall with two pins and one major decision in limited action. Senior Ryne Cokeley enters the weekend falling in his only match of the season at the National Duals (Jan. 4) against top-ranked Chris Eddins Jr (Pitt-Johnstown).
No. 4 ranked Efe Osaghae will battle with Nate Trepanier in the 157-pound class. Osaghae carries a 15-2 overall record with him, while an individual title at the Swede Open, a runner-up finish at the Bob Smith Open and a third-place finish at the UNK Holiday Inn Open. Osaghae leads the squad in technical falls (five), ranks third in total wins (15) and has also picking up six decisions, two sudden victories, one pin and one major decision. Trepanier has compiled an 18-3 overall slate this season.
In the 165-pound match, redshirt-freshman Aryus Jones will face off with Kyle Jolas. Jones is 13-5 on the year with five decision, four pins and two technical falls. Jones earned an individual title at the Swede Open earlier this year. Jolas carries a 14-8 overall record into the dual.
At 174 pounds, sophomore Marty Verhaeghe battles against Kyle Summers. Verhaeghe sits at 14-6 on year while Summers brings with him a 9-6 slate.
Senior Micquille Robinson gets the call for the Tigers in the 184-pound weight class. He is projected to face off with No. 10 ranked Colton Clingenpeel. Robinson is 23-4 on year and leads the team in wins (23) and major decisions (six). Robinson has added 12 decisions, two falls and one sudden victory. Clingenpeel sits at 10-6 overall on the season.
In penultimate pairing, junior Jordan Davis takes on No. 11 ranked Jared McKindley in the 197-pound bout. Davis carries a 7-9 overall record with four decisions, two major decisions and one pin. McKindley enters the matchup with an 8-8 record.
At 285 pounds, sophomore A.J. Cooper takes on No. 11 ranked Courvoisier Morrow. Cooper sits at 12-7 overall with five decisions, three major decisions, three falls and one technical fall. Morrow is 9-5 on the year.
BARRON, Wis. (AP) — A 21-year-old man is jailed in the deaths of a Wisconsin couple he killed because he wanted to kidnap their teenage daughter, investigators said Friday, a day after the girl approached a stranger along a rural road saying she’d been abducted in October and held against her will.
Jake Patterson -photo Barron County, Wisconsin sheriff
Jake Thomas Patterson was taken into custody shortly after 13-year-old Jayme Closs sought help from a woman walking her dog in a rural, heavily wooded neighborhood near the small town of Gordon, about 60 miles north of Barron. Jayme disappeared from her family’s home in Barron when her parents were killed Oct. 15.
During a news conference Friday, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said Jayme was taken against her will. The sheriff also said investigators don’t believe Patterson had any contact with the family.
Fitzgerald said investigators believe Patterson killed Jayme’s parents because he wanted to abduct her, and that Patterson “planned his actions and took many steps to hide his identity.”
Fitzgerald said investigators believe the girl was “the only target.”
A woman said she was walking her dog along a rural road Thursday afternoon when a disheveled teenage girl called out to her for help, quickly grabbed her and told her she was lost. Only then did the girl reveal her name.
Jeanne Nutter said Friday that Jayme told her she had walked away from a cabin where she’d been held captive, a cabin not far from Nutter’s home.
“I was terrified, but I didn’t want to show her that,” Nutter, a social worker who spent years working in child protection, told The Associated Press on Friday. “She just yelled please help me I don’t know where I am. I’m lost.”
Nutter said she didn’t want to bring Jayme to her nearby home because it was too close to where she’d been found, and she didn’t want them to be alone. She said: “My only thought was to get her to a safe place.”
The two went elsewhere in the neighborhood, to the home of Peter and Kristin Kasinskas. Jayme was skinny and dirty, wearing shoes too big for her feet, but appeared outwardly OK, the neighbors said.
“I honestly still think I’m dreaming right now. It was like I was seeing a ghost,” Peter Kasinskas told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “My jaw just went to the floor.”
Image courtesy Barron Co. Wisconsin Sheriff
Jayme went missing after police discovered someone had broken into the family’s home outside Barron and fatally shot her parents, James and Denise Closs. Jayme was nowhere to be found. The Barron County Sheriff’s Department said the girl had likely been abducted.
Detectives pursued thousands of tips, watched dozens of surveillance videos and conducted numerous searches in the effort to find Jayme. Some tips led officials to recruit 2,000 volunteers for a massive ground search on Oct. 23, but it yielded no clues.
Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said in Novemberthat he kept similar cases in the back of his mind as he worked to find Jayme, including the abduction of Elizabeth Smart, who was 14 when she was taken from her Salt Lake City home in 2002. She was rescued nine months later with the help of two witnesses who recognized her abductors from an “America’s Most Wanted” episode.
“I have a gut feeling she’s (Jayme’s) still alive,” Fitzgerald said at the time.
He was right.
During the 20 minutes Jayme was in their home, Peter and Kristin Kasinskas said they tried to make her feel more comfortable. They offered her water and food, but she declined both. Jayme was quiet, her emotions “pretty flat,” Peter Kasinskas said.
Jayme told the couple she didn’t know where she was or anything about Gordon. From what she told them, they believed she was there for most of her disappearance.
Gordon is about 40 miles (64.4 kilometers) south of Lake Superior and about 65 miles (104.6 kilometers) north of Barron, Jayme’s hometown. Gordon is home to about 645 people in a heavily forested region where logging is the top industry.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on its website that Jayme was found in the town at 4:43 p.m. Thursday, and that a suspect was taken into custody 11 minutes later.
Sue Allard, Jayme’s aunt, told the Star Tribune that she could barely express her joy after learning the news Thursday night.
“Praise the Lord,” Allard said between sobs. “It’s the news we’ve been waiting on for three months. I can’t wait to get my arms around her. I just can’t wait.”
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BARRON, Wis. (AP) — The Latest on authorities in Wisconsin finding 13-year-old Jayme Closs alive nearly three months after her parents were killed and she disappeared (all times local):
Image courtesy Barron Co. Wisconsin Sheriff
A Wisconsin couple is describing the dramatic moments when a neighbor pounded on their door to say she had stumbled across Jayme Closs, a 13-year-old girl who had been missing nearly three months.
Kristin and Peter Kasinskas say their neighbor had a skinny, dirty girl with matted hair standing next to her. The neighbor shouted, “This is Jayme Closs! Call 911!”
Peter Kasinskas tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Jayme was quiet and showed little emotion. He says she told them she didn’t know where she was or anything about Gordon, the small town near where she was found.
Jayme’s parents were killed in October at the family’s home near Barron and Jayme went missing. The place where she was found is a little more than an hour’s drive to the north.
Authorities say they have a suspect in custody and planned to release more information Friday.
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10:50 p.m.
A town official says a Wisconsin girl who turned up safe after being missing nearly three months was found in a small forested area of cabin-like homes about 6 miles east of the small Town of Gordon.
Jayme Closs was found Thursday afternoon in northwestern Wisconsin, about 65 miles north of where her parents were shot to death and Jayme vanished from their home in October.
Denny Kline, board chairman in the Town of Gordon, says he first learned Jayme was found while listening to a police scanner, which he has for work. He says he heard Jayme was walking down the road and someone stopped near her.
Kline says he heard on the scanner that Jayme told them who she was, and they brought her to their home.
The Associated Press was not able to verify Kline’s account with authorities late Thursday. The non-emergency line at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office rang unanswered and Sheriff Thomas Dalbec didn’t respond to an email.
Authorities say a suspect is in custody but aren’t giving other details ahead of a Friday news conference.
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9:40 p.m.
Wisconsin authorities say a teenager missing since her parents were killed in October was found alive in a tiny town about 40 miles south of Lake Superior.
Thirteen-year-old Jayme Closs went missing Oct. 15 when her parents were found dead in the family’s home near Barron in northwestern Wisconsin. The Barron County Sheriff’s Department posted on its Facebook page Thursday evening that she had been found alive in Douglas County, Wisconsin, which borders Lake Superior.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Department posted a note on its website saying Jayme was “located” in the Town of Gordon at 4:43 p.m. Thursday and a suspect was apprehended in the town about 10 minutes later. The note offered no other details. The department’s non-emergency line rang unanswered Thursday evening and Sheriff Thomas Dalbec didn’t immediately respond to an email.
The Town of Gordon lies about 65 miles north of Barron.
Jayme’s grandfather, Robert Naiberg, tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the teen was being treated at a hospital before being reunited with family.
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9 p.m.
A Wisconsin mayor says he’s overjoyed that a teenager missing since her parents were killed in October has been found alive
Thirteen-year-old Jayme Closs went missing Oct. 15, when her parents were found dead in the family’s home near Barron in northwestern Wisconsin. The Barron County Sheriff’s Department posted on its Facebook page Thursday evening that Jayme had been found alive in Douglas County, Wisconsin, which borders Lake Superior.
Authorities are planning a news conference Friday morning. They say they have a suspect in custody but won’t give more details until then.
Barron Mayor Ron Fladten says he hasn’t heard any details about Closs’ discovery. He says knowing she’s been found is “unbelievable. It’s like taking a big black cloud in the sky and getting rid of it and the sun comes out again.”
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8:55 p.m.
The cousin of a 13-year-old Wisconsin girl who was missing almost three months before being found safe Thursday is thanking law enforcement and the community for support.
Lacey Naiberg posted on Facebook after the Barron County sheriff reported that Jayme Closs had been found. Jayme went missing in October after her parents were killed at the family home in northern Wisconsin.
Naiberg wrote “there are no words to describe” the feeling of having so many people come together to help. She asks people to continue to pray for “Jayme’s well-being and our families healing.”
Authorities say a suspect is in custody, but say they won’t release any more information ahead of a news conference Friday.
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8:29 p.m.
Authorities in northwestern Wisconsin say a 13-year-old girl who went missing in October after her parents were killed has been found alive.
The Barron County Sheriff’s Department said on its Facebook page that Jayme Closs has been located Thursday and that a suspect was taken into custody.
Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald says the sheriff’s office in Douglas County, about 70 miles north of Barron County, located the girl. A suspect was apprehended a short time later. The statement did not say where Jayme was found or give any further information about the suspect.
The sheriff’s office plans to hold a news conference Friday morning to discuss the case.
Jayme Closs has been missing since her parents were found dead Oct. 15 at the family’s home near Barron.
SALINE COUNTY — A Kansas man critically injured in a January 5 accident in Saline County has died.
photos courtesy Saline County Sheriff’s Office
A 1998 Chevy S10 pickup driven by Craig McCombs, 37, rural Saline County, was westbound in the 6200 block of West State Street and North Hohneck west of Salina according to Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan.
The driver who was ejected, sustained substantial injuries, including injuries to the head, Soldan said.
He was transported by EMS to Salina Regional Health Center and then flown to a Wichita hospital in critical condition and died Thursday, according to Soldan
A witness driving behind McCombs told deputies that he reported the accident within two minutes of it happening.
When deputies arrived approximately four minutes later, there was a small fire in the engine compartment of the pickup. The fire then spread, engulfing the pickup, Soldan said.
There was evidence of alcohol at the scene, according to Soldan.
RUSSELL COUNTY — An investigation that began at about 5 a.m. Friday in Russell County is now being investigated as an apparent suicide.
Law enforcement authorities initially believed the incident to be fatal hit-and-run accident.
But at approximately 1 p.m. Friday, the KHP said it was investigating the incident as an apparent suicide.
“Info will not be posted on the KHP Crash Logs,” Trooper Tod Hileman reported via social media. “We are investigating this incident as an apparent suicide, therefore I will not be releasing names at this point. Thank you all for your understanding.”
Ref. the incident this morning on I-70 at milepost 200 EB.
Info will not be posted on the KHP Crash Logs as earlier stated. We are investigating this incident as an apparent suicide, therefore I will not be releasing names at this point.
Donna Marie Nuttle, 94, passed away on January 9, 2019 at the Trego-Lempke Memorial Hospital in Wakeeney, Kansas. She was born on January 1, 1925 in McCracken, Kansas the daughter of Bud and Nellie (Stoskopf) Foster.
Graveside service will be on Monday, January 14, 2019, 2:00 P.M., at the Arnold Cemetery, Arnold, Kansas. Friends may call at Fitzgerald Funeral Home on Sunday, January 13, from 10:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. with the family present from 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.
Governor-elect Laura Kelly and Lt. Governor-elect Lynn Rogers will have a day of community service across the state of Kansas on Saturday as part of the Kelly-Rogers Inaugural 2019 festivities.
Weather permitting, Ellis County residents will have two community service events on Saturday, and Governor-elect Kelly will join them.The first activity is a clean-up from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Aubel Bickel Park, 30th and Sherman Avenue, Hays, followed by non-perishable food drive and collection at the park.All donated food items will be distributed among local food pantries.
If wintry weather or rain arrives, the food drive will be moved to 1502 Vine from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Recommended food items include: canned meats, fruits, and vegetables; protein or fruit bars; dry cereal or granola; peanut butter; dried fruit; or pasta.
Anyone interested in volunteering is encouraged to join.
Girl Scouts from across the area will be participating in the event. Kelly is a Girl Scout alumni.
“Lynn and I are thrilled to share the inaugural celebrations with people across the state of Kansas, and to highlight the importance of service in our local communities,” Kelly said. “We look forward to giving back to the state that has given us both so much.”
What began as the dream of a unique visionary and philanthropist is now celebrating its 20th year.
Rolling Hills Zoo officials announced Thursday morning the zoo will have a year-long celebration in 2019 for its 20th anniversary.
More than 250 people were at the zoo on opening day (Oct. 27, 1999) to see the late Charlie Walker’s dream come to life. Today, more than 87,000 people visit RHZ annually. More than 68 percent of those people come from outside Saline County.
And while RHZ has changed over the past 20 years, Walker’s standard for excellence remains a guiding force in all that is done at RHZ, according to Robert Jenkins, RHZ executive director. That standard, Jenkins said, is “if you can’t do it right, don’t do it.”
Jenkins attributed RHZ becoming a top regional tourist attraction to Walker and his vision for building an outstanding facility, the quality of the staff, and the quality of the animals.
RHZ employees 40 full-time employees and 41 seasonal employees. It has five interns and 168 community volunteers. RHZ generates annually nearly $128,000 in payroll taxes and more than $70,000 in sales taxes. Additionally, RHZ spends more than $4 million each year on goods and services, with a majority of those expenditures recirculating in the local economy. In fact, since its beginning, RHZ has contributed to the economy more than $20 million in capital costs and more than $73 million in operating costs, a majority of which was spent locally.
The 20th celebration will include a special exhibit in the Earl Bane Gallery that will visually take visitors back to the creation of the zoo, Jenkins said. The exhibit will include interactive displays, a build-a-zoo Lego construction site for children, and a memory wall on which visitors can share their memories of RHZ, Jenkins said. The exhibit is scheduled to open in April.
Linda Henderson talks about the 20th-anniversary documentary.
A “Remember When” documentary, featuring the stories of those involved with the zoo throughout the years is scheduled to be out this spring and will be shared a variety of ways, according to Linda Henderson, RHZ director of development and marketing.
Additionally, RHZ will have monthly specials including the following.
January — 20-percent-off admission on Sundays
February — Take gently used towels and blankets to the zoo by February 10 and receive 20 percent off your Wild at Heart order.
March — 20 cent fountain drinks at the Overlook Restaurant during Sprint Break: GO WILD! March 9-17.
April — Receive 20 percent off all items from the Elephant’s Trunk Gift Shop on April 27, the opening day of the 20th-anniversary exhibit in the Earl Bane Gallery.
May — 20-percent-off admission on Memorial Day (May 27).
June — $2 foot-long hot dogs at the Overlook Restaurant on Father’s Day (June 16).
July — 20 percent off Dippin’ Dots at the Overlook Restaurant on Sundays in July.
August — Back to School Blast 20th Anniversary Celebration — half-price admission for everyone.
September — 20 percent off adult admission with a paid child’s admission on Grandparents Day (September 8)
October — 20th-anniversary celebration party on October 26.
November — 20 cent hot chocolate at the Overlook Restaurant on Saturdays in November
December — 20 percent off at the Elephant’s Trunk Gift Shop for sales more than $50 on Saturdays and Sundays through Christmas.
